Thursday, April 25, 2013

Something to Think About When Naming Characters

I’m noticing lately that variations on the same or similar names for two
different characters (Hal and Henry, Elyne and Eileen, Greg and
Eric).

These names are both visually similar and evocatively similar,
which causes reader confusion even when the characters are distinct. The human
eye “fills in” the letters, so that we read words in chunks. In addition, we’re
often “reading aloud” to ourselves in our head (silently). When two names pop
off the page (or into the eye and the mind) alike, the reader has to slow down
to think about what she’s reading, and that pulls her out of the
story.

So, here are some guidelines:

Use a distinct name
for every character

Start every name in the book with a different
letter

Make sure names are not variables or derivatives of the
same name

Try for names that are different lengths/syllable
counts/vowel sounds

Make sure names with the same number of
letters or syllables do not also share the same vowel
sound

Recommended resource (if I may be so bold): THE COMPLETE
BOOK OF BABY NAMES